By Staff Sgt. Henry W. Marris III

More than 100 Soldiers and Family members registered as donors with the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, March 3, 2014, during a bone marrow registration drive on Fort Carson.

Soldiers and Family members from 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, processed through two donor stations set up by Family members and Soldier volunteers to do cheek swabs as they helped donors complete formal registration with the program.

The registration drive was sponsored by the “Phoenix” battalion and was coordinated through the efforts of Jeanette Barlow, wife of the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop commander, 3rd STB; Sgt. 1st Class James Howard, brigade medical noncommissioned officer in charge; and Colorado region representative of the DOD marrow donor program, Master Sgt. Frankie Gomez, Medical Management Activity, Colorado National Guard.

Barlow said her motivation for organizing the drive came from being unable to attend a registration drive at her children’s school, and having known people who have been diagnosed with leukemia.

“When I first started looking into the registration process, I didn’t realize how easy it is to sponsor a marrow drive and be on the national registry,” Barlow said. “I wanted to become a donor to try and save the lives of people who have leukemia. People need help, and you never know when you are a match.”

According to the DOD marrow donor program website, since its inception in 1991, the program has registered more than 800,000 Soldiers and Family members, and has coor­dinated more than 6,000 marrow and stem cell donations.

Gomez said when a friend of his was diagnosed with leukemia, he took it upon himself to learn more about the donor procedure and registration programs.

“Education is the key to the bone marrow donor program,” Gomez said. “A lot of people think it is a very invasive procedure, when the majority of the time it is very much like a blood draw.”

Gomez, a leukemia survivor himself, said one of the major issues the program faces is a low number of registered ethnic minorities. He said that less than 7 percent of registered donors are ethnic minorities, and that is a number he wants to see rise.

Pvt. Miguel Becerra, chemical specialist, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd STB, 3rd ABCT, said he registered because he wanted to help others.

“Many people need marrow, and I am a healthy person,” Becerra said. “If I can do something to help them, I don’t see why I shouldn’t at least try and help.”

The bone marrow drive was the first of its kind for 3rd STB.

Barlow said she hopes this is only the start of a successful program. She is already working on putting together seven more marrow drives for the rest of the battalions in 3rd ABCT, and has another brigade inquiring how to do their own drives.

“It’s worth it to see if you have a chance to save a life,” Barlow said. “I would love to see this go postwide. The more people registered the better. Every person registered is a chance to save a life.”